I'm really struggling with relevance of all this. At least, any relevance that can't just be counteracted with "West Coast and Adelaide seem to managing OK".

Your struggling with the relevance of the Cats having the best model for the past few years followed by the Pies some years ago, & the Tiges coach saying he wanted to get a stand alone VFL side. It's the obvious way forward at the moment, to teach & structure. Especially for a young side trying to get every slight advantage.

Do you want us to be the leaders, or do you feel more comfortable following?

You guys are unbelievable....You are comparing interstate sides to the MFC!!

What is best for the MFC? Oh and btw if Hawthorn wish to stay with Box Hill...Good Luck to them..

The Filth do it the right way...young uns join the senior side seamlessly...

Only comparing the most successful side of the last twenty years. Who cares if they're interstate? The Eagles have won three flags, played in 4 grand finals and missed only a handful of finals series since their inception. Since 2002, when the WAFL stated that neither WA team could have an affiliate, they've won a flag and played in another GF, before rebuilding and looking like doing so again in 2012!

They've done so this year swapping players in from their backups due to injuries to most of their forward line, slotting in seamlessly into a winning side.

And yet you dismiss it because it's 'not the Collingwood way'...

Collingwood had early success before a long period of 'meh' in the 2000s, and didn't have that depth that they now do for a long time.

It's much more about a winning culture and the way a side develops its kids over what the VFL team is named. This is where we've been poor, for over a decade, and where we'll need to improve if we're to have any shot. Not by spending $200k extra so a team is named 'Melbourne' in the VFL.

Only comparing the most successful side of the last twenty years. Who cares if they're interstate? The Eagles have won three flags, played in 4 grand finals and missed only a handful of finals series since their inception. Since 2002, when the WAFL stated that neither WA team could have an affiliate, they've won a flag and played in another GF, before rebuilding and looking like doing so again in 2012!

They've done so this year swapping players in from their backups due to injuries to most of their forward line, slotting in seamlessly into a winning side.

And yet you dismiss it because it's 'not the Collingwood way'...

Collingwood had early success before a long period of 'meh' in the 2000s, and didn't have that depth that they now do for a long time.

It's much more about a winning culture and the way a side develops its kids over what the VFL team is named. This is where we've been poor, for over a decade, and where we'll need to improve if we're to have any shot. Not by spending $200k extra so a team is named 'Melbourne' in the VFL.

But the interstate clubs can place their players in multiple teams. They have the whole league. It is not a comparison. We need a stand alone side to play our list to its potential. Casey are great. But the VFL is slowly dying.

The only thing wrong with the Casey alignment is its name . It should be the " Casey Demons " playing in our previous away strip of white with red demon motif.